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alisarae's reviews
1578 reviews
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Normally I don't like going back in time for a series that is in progress, but I didn't mind this one. I loked all the side characters who were introduced and I have a strong feeling they will make an encore down the road. My least favorite story was with Sam, The Assassin and the Empire. Sam is about as interesting as a cardboard box, I'm not sorry he is dead.
Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't like adaptations or "continuations" of classics that are set in the same time as the original, but I consistently enjoy when they are modernized. Anne is a fantastic example of this! The characters felt so true to the original and the modern day updates were a graceful fit. The art and story is very obviously meant for a middle grade audience but I loved reading it too.
Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome by Rodney Stark
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
The first chapter was interesting and got me excited. The rest of the book is pretty dry and heavy on statistics and numbers. It is waaay more academic than I was expecting in that sense. So the interesting parts were few and far between.
The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Concise, powerful, still painfully relevant.
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as any one person of Color remains chained. Nor is any one of you." (Uses of Anger)
"Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men as to our existance and our needs. This is an old and primary tool of all oppressors to keep the oppressed occupied with the master's concerns. Now we hear that it is the task if women of Color to educate white women -- in the face of tremendous resistance -- as to our existance, our differences, our relative roles in our joint survival. This is a diversion of energies and a tragic repetition of racist patriarchal thought." (The Master's Tools)
Includes: The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House, Poetry is Not a Luxury, Uses of the Erotic, and Uses of Anger from the book Sister Outsider.
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as any one person of Color remains chained. Nor is any one of you." (Uses of Anger)
"Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men as to our existance and our needs. This is an old and primary tool of all oppressors to keep the oppressed occupied with the master's concerns. Now we hear that it is the task if women of Color to educate white women -- in the face of tremendous resistance -- as to our existance, our differences, our relative roles in our joint survival. This is a diversion of energies and a tragic repetition of racist patriarchal thought." (The Master's Tools)
Includes: The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House, Poetry is Not a Luxury, Uses of the Erotic, and Uses of Anger from the book Sister Outsider.
The Arizona Triangle: A Novel by Sydney Graves
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I mostly wanted to read this book because I wanted to see how Tucson was portrayed. Frequent references to southern Arizona hallmarks, along with some Arizona and Hohokam history and desert ecology, did not disappoint. Most of the story is set in the fictional town of Delphi, which gives Quartzite or Bisbee vibes.
I think this book was a fine debut and the main character Jo is interesting and strong enough to carry the series forward. The premise of the plot is a little ridiculous and in all my years of being a true crime junkie, I haven't ever come across a reveal this outlandish -- fiction is stranger than truth in this case. That said, the victim, Rose, was complicated and pretty much all of the other characters could be suspects, so it is an entertaining investigation.
I think this book was a fine debut and the main character Jo is interesting and strong enough to carry the series forward. The premise of the plot is a little ridiculous and in all my years of being a true crime junkie, I haven't ever come across a reveal this outlandish -- fiction is stranger than truth in this case. That said, the victim, Rose, was complicated and pretty much all of the other characters could be suspects, so it is an entertaining investigation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder
Minor: Drug use
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked the political intrigue! And the author is very good at building to and dropping dramatic reveals. It is really easy to keep reading because of how there is always something new in the plot.
The Veiled Woman by Anaïs Nin
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have read some spicy romance but I suppose this is really what you would call erotica.
Includes: The Veiled Woman, Linda, and Marianne from The Delta of Venus and Mandra from Little Birds.
Includes: The Veiled Woman, Linda, and Marianne from The Delta of Venus and Mandra from Little Birds.
Morvern Callar by Alan Warner
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book was kind of crazy and uncomfortable (it reminded me a bit of American Psycho) but also I wanted to keep reading to see how the story would resolve. I felt like reading it was a memorable experience but it isn't the type of book I would recommend. The 90s were a time, man!
Here is the Scottish vocab I learned:
Greet - to cry
Oxter - armpit
Coorie - hunker down, snuggle up
Boak - to puke
Fankled - tangled
Skint - broke (money)
Bothy - cottage or shack
Sgurr - steep hill
Thunderplump - heavy fall of rain
Gormless - foolish
Blether - gabber
Breenge - lunge or dash
Go First-footing
Midden - dunghill or trash heap
Ceilidh - event with singing and storytelling
Bonzo - trash bin
Judder - shake (shudder)
Here is the Scottish vocab I learned:
Greet - to cry
Oxter - armpit
Coorie - hunker down, snuggle up
Boak - to puke
Fankled - tangled
Skint - broke (money)
Bothy - cottage or shack
Sgurr - steep hill
Thunderplump - heavy fall of rain
Gormless - foolish
Blether - gabber
Breenge - lunge or dash
Go First-footing
Midden - dunghill or trash heap
Ceilidh - event with singing and storytelling
Bonzo - trash bin
Judder - shake (shudder)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Fame by Andy Warhol
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Love, Fame and Beauty taken from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.
This was a fun one. I found Warhol to be very relatable (much more than I expected to, based on photos I have seen of him) and his anecdotes about certain characters and trends from the 60s and 70s were interesting. It reminded me of Woody Allen or Seinfeld, same vibes about the comedy of the banality of life in the 20th century.
This book is very easy to pick up and put down, really great if you are waiting in a queue and need to pay attention to things around you at the same time lol.
This was a fun one. I found Warhol to be very relatable (much more than I expected to, based on photos I have seen of him) and his anecdotes about certain characters and trends from the 60s and 70s were interesting. It reminded me of Woody Allen or Seinfeld, same vibes about the comedy of the banality of life in the 20th century.
This book is very easy to pick up and put down, really great if you are waiting in a queue and need to pay attention to things around you at the same time lol.
Create Dangerously by Albert Camus
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Three essays from Resistance, Rebellion, and Death.
Create Dangerously: I know a lot about art history and even then it was hard to follow his arguments in the main essay, when he used specific examples of artists or movements. I think there were some isolated quotes that I could apply to today, like when he talks about that remaining silent is no longer a neutral position. I also liked the concept of making art that is relatable to the suffering of the present while building dreams of what the future could be--reminds me of solar punk and afrofuturism movements that are so hopeful for the future precisely because the present is bleak.
I think Defense of Intelligence was the easiest to understand, esp bc we have been seeing so many anti-intellectual movements coming from the right: just last year there were two standout moments where people were filming themselves destroying their college diplomas (🙄) and the other where a lady was getting thousands of threats on twitter bc she posted a pic of her dissertation. I hope this "fad" passes soon and all those people feel ashamed for being idiots.
Bread and Freedom was the least interesting to me.
Create Dangerously: I know a lot about art history and even then it was hard to follow his arguments in the main essay, when he used specific examples of artists or movements. I think there were some isolated quotes that I could apply to today, like when he talks about that remaining silent is no longer a neutral position. I also liked the concept of making art that is relatable to the suffering of the present while building dreams of what the future could be--reminds me of solar punk and afrofuturism movements that are so hopeful for the future precisely because the present is bleak.
I think Defense of Intelligence was the easiest to understand, esp bc we have been seeing so many anti-intellectual movements coming from the right: just last year there were two standout moments where people were filming themselves destroying their college diplomas (🙄) and the other where a lady was getting thousands of threats on twitter bc she posted a pic of her dissertation. I hope this "fad" passes soon and all those people feel ashamed for being idiots.
Bread and Freedom was the least interesting to me.